Dust Bunnies
by dcfsproduct
Summary: What happens to Digger after he is caught spraying his dad's car with soda in Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time. This story goes into the lives of Tico and Digger since the books kinda glossed over that. Implied abuse.
1. Chapter 1

I kinda like dust bunnies. How the slightest breath of mine with move them. Like I have power over the dust bunnies unlike anything else in my sorry life. And I also kinda hate them. I hate them because they are under my bed. I only have to look at them and think about them when I am under my bed. I am under my bed. I am as close to the wall as possible, looking at the dust bunnies.

I hate myself. Look at me, almost in seventh grade and still hiding under the bed like a little kid. I am such a coward. I can't just stand up and face what I had coming, like a man. At least that's what my dad said. Actually, what my dad shouted.

He's been stomping around for a while, looking for me. I know its sooner or later that he will realize where I have been hiding and pull back the bed to get me. I'm happy that he hasn't found me but it also makes me kinda sad that he hasn't thought to look under the bed yet. Even my dad thinks that I'm too old to hide under the bed.

Whatever. I'll hide wherever I need to if it means avoiding what's coming to me. I'm such a coward. I'll bet Stretch doesn't hide and Stanford doesn't even flinch when he's getting it. I try so hard not to make a noise but somehow I always end up screaming. My mom pounding on the door begging him to stop. He shouting back that I had it coming.

He's right most of the time and definitely this time. I don't know what I was thinking, not recognizing his car when I sprayed it with soda. A tear runs down my cheek as I anticipate how hard I'm gonna get it. God dammit Digger pull your self together. You had it coming, you deserve whatever you're going to get.

Thank God its summer and I don't have to change for PE. Those are the worst. I hate the stares from people as I go to change in the bathroom stall every single day. I hear them complaining that some people actually have to use the toilet, why can't I just change in the locker room like everybody else? Well, dumbass, I wish I could more than you'd think.

But still, I'm gonna get it so hard, I'm gonna die. Actually, though, no lie. The Roadrunners are gonna find my body.. They're gonna hear a bullshit story about how I fell down the stairs or whatever the hell dad cooks up. Like the one he told the hospital last month. I had to work not to roll my eyes at the nurse as he explained that I fell out of my bunk bed. I don't want to die. Oh God I don't want to die.

I think I'll pray right now. Oh God please let me live past tonight. Just past tonight. Please God please please please I'll be good I promise.

I hear footsteps on the stairs. Dad stomping around, saying how when he finds me, he's gonna cut off my head and kick it up my ass. Please let me live tomorrow. Please God please please please. Oh I don't want to get it hard. I don't want to break another bone. It hurts too DAMN MUCH. He's stomping down the hall now. I'm crying now like the coward I am. I'm such a baby.

Please God don't let it be too bad tonight. I'm so sorry God. Not tonight, not tonight. The door to my bedroom opens. Please please please please not the belt anything but the belt. I see his shoes and when I see what he's holding, I have to put my hands over my mouth to stop a single whimper from escaping. I want to scream. I can't breathe.

The last time I got the piece of wood, I missed four days of school. Its two feet long and so splintery. And so hard, oh God it hurts so much. My heart is beating so loud how can he not hear it? He screams that he WILL kill me for real this time that I am going to be dead and I had it coming.

He opens the closet door with so much force that the room shakes. He rips the clothes out, looking for me in there. When he doesn't find me, he lets out a shout of fury and smashes a shelf on my wall with the piece of wood. The wood is so hard that the shelf falls and my trophies on it land on the floor. One shatters. In a few minutes, that shelf will be me. I will be laying on the floor, curled up in a ball screaming like a baby while I get what's coming to me.

I hate myself. My baby, cowardly self that can't even take what's coming with out crying. Dad's feet turn to face the bed. I am squashed against the opposite wall. Oh please God please God please God please please please.

"Digger! I'm gonna kill you."

He pulls back the bed. The last thing I see before getting dragged out is a pile of dust bunnies. I really hate dust bunnies.


	2. Chapter 2

I fall forward and my face hits the ground hard. I have barely a second to register my new location when everything goes dark and I feel a mass holding my head down.

"Stanturd, you are being sentenced to death, any last words." shouts Tico in a robot voice as he sits on my head. "Beep boop bop subject is dead."

I laugh and roll backwards, tackling Tico into the grass.

"Dogpile!" shouts Gus, jumping on top of us. The three of us wrestle for a second until we become awkwardly aware of the 7th graders on the park bench staring. I stand up and brush off my pants, as Gus and Tico roll around a little longer. Stretch suddenly appears next to me with a taco as if he had been there the whole time. We nod to acknowledge each other.

Tico and Gus finally stand up and the four of us head down to the 7Eleven for some slushies. As we wait for the traffic to stop at the intersection, Gus looks around and says

"Hey, have any of you guys seen Digger lately?" We shake our heads. I hadn't noticed it but he hasn't been around for a few days. Stretch shrugs. I become aware the Tico looks very awkward. Without making eye contact with any of us, he suddenly blurts out,

"Hey I just remembered that my mom wanted me home now. Sorry guys, see 'ya."

He turns and runs off.

**Tico POV**

Digger's dad hits him. A lot. Hard. And not just slaps in the face like my mom does when I being annoying or something. His dad full out punches him and hits him with a belt. I'm not supposed to know and he told me he would kill me if I told any of the Roadrunners.

A few days ago, I was heading over to Diggers house to grab a T-shirt I had left the day before. I hadn't seen him since he had accidentally sprayed his dad's car with soda. I bounced through the gate and headed to the backyard as usual. I was about to turn the corner around his house when I heard a commotion. I stopped cold because it sounded like Digger's dad. I peeked around the corner through a bush so they wouldn't see me and I was shocked. Digger's dad was holding a long piece of wood and was dragging him towards the basement door by his shirt. When they got to the door, he slammed his son against the door. He held Digger by the neck and got an inch away from his face.

"Now's your last chance, Digger. Tell me the truth. Was it you?" Digger whimpered "I…I…" Digger's dad wound up and hit him so hard in the face that Digger's nose started to bleed. He glanced around quickly to check if the neighbors were looking out of their windows. I quickly ducked back around the house. I heard the basement door open and shut. When I glanced around the corner, Digger and his dad were gone. I was about to run away when my curiosity overcame my fright and I crouched down next to the basement window next to the path. It was mostly frosted over, but I could see though a corner of it. What I saw horrified me.

Digger's dad ripped off Digger's shirt and shoved him against a wall. He wound up his whole arm and began hitting Digger with the piece of wood so hard I couldn't believe Digger wasn't screaming bloody murder. I would have been for sure. Digger stayed crouched over and made little grunting noises and whimpered a lot but he didn't scream and he didn't cry. I didn't know when Digger's dad was going to stop but I could see a dark lines and blood on Digger's back.

Finally he seemed to get tired and he threw the wood onto the ground. He turned around and kicked Digger in the face, causing him to fall onto the floor. Ignoring his son who was moaning on the floor, Digger's dad bent down and wiped the blood off of his shoes and walked up the stairs into their house. I waited until I heard the door click, then I pulled out my swiss army knife and wrenched the window open. Normally I wasn't that type of nosey person but I wasn't about to let my friend get almost killed like that.

I slid into the basement and tentatively said "Digger?" He jumped and turned over. His face was bloody from the bloody nose and I could see his cheek swelling up. He glanced up at the door, then held a finger to his lips. "What are you doing here?!" He whispered furiously. Before I could think of an answer, he jumped at me and pinned me against the wall by my neck.

"If you tell any of the Roadrunners what you saw, I will kill you. Got it?" I nodded fearfully. "Good. Now get the hell out and forget everything you saw." Digger was so terrifying the I climbed out of the window and ran home


End file.
